Tips for Overnight Kitten Care 

Thanks for watching! Don't forget to pre-order my upcoming book, Tiny But Mighty, to learn everything you need to know about kitten care! www.kittenlady.org/tinybutmighty

“One of the thing people seem to fear the most about fostering orphans is the idea that you have to wake up in the middle of the night” hannah I’m more afraid of NOT waking up

Five minutes?? FIVE MINUTES??? I haven't slept longer than a 3 hour shift in almost 2 weeks because feeding our 3 week-old kitten takes like 30 minutes. 10 minutes to feed her, and 20 minutes to stare at her as she sleeps wondering what we did to deserve her coming to us: she's stolen our sleep and our hearts!

Seems I've taken the opposite side of life from you. It seems I'm becoming a retirement holme and hospice for elderly cats. LOL

Pros of fostering neonatal kittens: 1)You help them survive so they can get adopted 2)You get to see their milestones where you do parent dances and celebrate(Ok I might be the only one who does this) 4)Kittens...Need I say more 5)They look like little rolly pollies for a bit 6)Giving non stop kitten kisses 7) Prob a billion more amazing reasons Cons 1)Almost putting kitten formula in your coffee instead of soy milk(Still worth it)

I just lost my sweet, sweet Mamma cat. She was a pregnant feral kitten when I found her. I spent 8 wonderful years with her. She died in my arms yesterday night.. very unexpectedly. She was my best friend. And this past year, since I moved to a new city, one of my only friends. I am not sure what happened.. I speculate she had a blood clot or a heart attack. I tried desperately to give her CPR.. while trying to get to my closest animal emergency hospital (20 minutes away). She came running to me while meowing REALLY LOUDLY.. she was breathing rapid and shallow... like she couldn't catch her breath. Shenwas drooling.. and her eyes were bulging. Which is why I initial thought she was choking. I gave her a finger sweep- nothing. When I gave her a rescue breath her lungs filled very easily... so I dont think she choked. Now I feel absolutely horrible for sticking my FINGER down her throat while she was dying. I would have done anything to help her in that moment. And again, I was panicking. Ran a block to my car on a broken ankle to get my car. By the time I brought my car back to the apt- she was barely breathing. I started losing the ÷my mind. I yelled to my neighbors for help.. but didnt get any help. They were probably afraid of me because I was crying and panicking. I keep replaying what happened in my head.. and crying. My heart is truly broken. I still have my 12-13 year old Beebeepuss. She is so extremely affectionate the past 24 hours. I doubt she understands why I am so traumatized.. but regardless she is doing everything she can to comfort me. To anyone out there who's watched their pet die in their arms.. I feel your pain. They really are our best friends.. and the pain is so unbearable. Thanks for letting me vent. I feel like I will never get over this horrible experience. But eventually it will be okay.

Flailing paws and fat belly! Everything a kitten lady (or Kitten Lady) needs!

I kinda miss overnight care. It wasn't all that bad. Kitten raising can be tiring but it is so rewarding.

Just found out one of my friends was inspired by you to do tnr! Keep going strong, kitten lady!!

I've fostered many kittens. From a day old to a month old. In the past, I had zero knowledge on how to take care of kittens (especially here in the Philippines, not all vets are the best when it comes to kitten knowledge). Most of the kittens I fostered who's eyes were closed kept dying. But your channel saved me and the kittens. We can't thank you enough. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge even with your busy schedule. Now I know things like, feeding them on schedule, giving them a clean and good environment, cleaning them properly, looking out for diseases the kitten may have, alarming my phone so I can wake up in the middle of the night, stimulating them, giving them heat source and more. All this I learned from you. 😍😍😍

Overnight kitten care is a lot easier than i thought it was going to be, I had five two week old kittens who depended on me.

Just went to a work shop at my shelter on bottle babies! They showed your videos as the info!

Thank you so much for posting this, I’m going to foster soon and this was so helpful 🐱

Bottle feeding my rescue babies was one of the best experiences of my life. There is nothing like watching their little ears flap when they are drinking from the bottle!

You’re the best living soul on this planet for taking care of all these cats and kittens. God bless you kitten lady, you’re an angel.

I battle with the night feeds, especially like when I had 5 x 3 hour old kittens from one litter. I didn’t sleep as you can imagine. But was worth it! 4 of them survived 🎉 every time I’m super tired I remind myself if I miss a feed they may die and I get up really fast when that thought goes through my mind!

Bless you!.I am so glad the mindset of vets and ASPCA HAS CHANGED because of people like you. I said back in the 80's and 90's that newborn orphans CAN be saved. I fostered and still foster kittens and puppies..it just takes love...Cudos to one Kitten Lady from another!..I actually woke up with tiny kitten hickeys on my neck from a precocious 3 week old tortie girl ( she scaled the side of my bed out of her basket i had her in)..Terra the terror. She, of course my 1st foster fail. I had her for 12 years...

Supposed to be sleeping, before work, but a Kitten Lady vid? Yeeeaaahhh, I'll sleep later

My cat past not long ago and this makes my feel better

Eleven and a half years ago we took in five kittens who were born to a feral mama in our garage. We wanted them to stay with her, but she attempted to move them out. We knew if she succeeded, the kittens probably would not survive. So at ten days old we took them from her. We should have tried harder to trap her and bring her inside, but we already had four older cats, and weren't sure we could sequester her away from them, and she was skittish, anyway. Bottle-feeding five kittens, two hours apart during the night, was brutal, but we did it. Our sons helped out during the day when we were at work and they were home from school during the summer. We managed to raise all five of them to adulthood, and didn't lose a single one. And it was our first attempt at fostering; we didn't even know what we were doing! Sadly, we lost Bear to cancer back in December of 2019, but we still have his siblings.

You helped me so much a year ago when I was unexpectedly bottle feeding my then- 3 week old "Waffle", after her mom left her (don't want to say "abandoned" because I had to move her out of my neighbor's shed or she was going to be thrown out & mom apparently was too nervous to come for her in a box on my carport.. so I felt sooo responsible for that).. She just turned one on March 5th & is huge & healthy. Thanks so much for the love you give. I'm disabled and it was extremely difficult for me to do all the kitten mom stuff back then, but I made it through & look at her now! To anyone considering fostering teeny tinys, it's only for a few weeks, it definitely gets easier, and if I can do it, you can do it!

Cuteness and educational! Best of both worlds ☺️

Seeing the whole overnight process is really cool, I never knew it could be that quick!

The kittens I’m fostering now were saved by a woman who was inspired by your videos. She went back and saved the mom, as well, because she knew the importance of having mom around for the tinies thanks to your recommendations. She’s also doing TNR for the cats in the surrounding area, because kittens are born there frequently! One less community with more vulnerable litters born this kitten season. Thank you!

Hannah: don’t do anything besides the basics when doing night-time feedings Also Hannah: films an entire 13 minute video

You say "dont kiss them on the head a bunch" like that's a thing I'm physically able to do. Lol We rescued our boy when he was 2 weeks old. Totally worth the sleepless nights! 💚

When you’re dead inside but you still gotta care for your foster kittens

Ok I'm not fostering kittens (yet) but the fact that she's prioritizing not just taking care of the kittens, but making sure that the *caretaker* is taking care of themself... I'm struggling to articulate how much I needed to hear that right now.

Pabu, that’s her name?!?! My heart can’t take this. This is up there with Too Cute in the level of cuteness.😍😍

Kitten Lady, you are such a remarkable person. I always wonder where you get the energy to take cate of all these vulnerable little creatures.

Thank you Kitten Lady for fighting against the abuse of kittens you are an amazing person! The bipartisan bill aptly named Kittens in Traumatic Testing Ends Now Act, KITTEN Act for short, aims to stop the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) practice of killing kittens after they are used in agency testing

I'm so happy you posted this. My foster momma cat had babies last night and one hasn't latched yet so I have been feeding every 2 hours so he doesnt lose any weight.

You inspire me so much!! I’m only 13, but when I get older I want to foster too! Much love!! 💕

Did you get engaged? If so congrats to you and the kitten daddy :)

I’m watching this and feeding my 2-2day old foster kittens. I foster all year long but my specialty is neonates and special needs babies that the vets give lower chances to survive. It’s like you said a few hours lost to save all these babies is so worth it and when it’s not kitten season I foster medical cases and under social cats and kittens. Every life you save can become someone’s special pet or life companion so go out and Foster it’s the best thing to do and you can forever have kittens in your life and make them into special creatures to go out and make others happy.

First off, Kabu is adorable. I don't think it would be so bad. I usually wake up a couple times a night to use the bathroom anyway. The advice to get used to putting your feet on the floor when the alarm goes off is good even if you aren't caring for kittens. People who use the snooze button multiple times aren't actually getting more sleep, they are getting less. Just set the alarm for when you actually mean to get up and then get up.

Just took on my first two babies yesterday! They’re both a day old and we’re abandoned by the mama (I guess that happens a lot) from the get go I just knew I needed to be there for them. Needless to say such an emotional experience for all three of us haha. These videos have given me such confidence on what to do... thank you kitten lady you’re amazing ! *cries*

Hello Kitten Lady, I just want to say I can't thank you enough for the help I got from your videos. A cat delivered 5/6 babies in the neighborhood. After a week she abandoned one of her babies. that little kitten was screaming near my door for 1 day. I was so worried. Decided to help. Now that kitten thinks I'm her mom 😂 I also named her Meona. Honestly I went throughout many videos. I feel like pro now 😂. Thank You so much 👍

Bless you, kitten mama! You have helped me take care of so many orphaned babies. I would be so lost without you!

I just finished those days :) my kitten now over 2 months old and can eat independently. YES IT WAS EXHAUSTING TO ME :)))) only about 2 weeks lack of sleep and also have to study for the test, also it was my first time care for a cat (yup my first cat is a 1-day-old kitten, sound very hard), make me became a little frighten, worry if he can make it to live, am I doing good enough. I though now I know how hard to care for a baby :))) well, everything done now. The kitten growing fast and thanks God he didn't have any trouble during that time. The schedule and the feeding station I have similar like you. But my cat in Vietnam quite a small species so he has lighter weight due to your weight table. I observe him carefully and he still put on weight about nearly 10 grams a day which I think it is ok. LOVE YOUR VIDEO, hope it will help a lot of people like me to take care of kittens

I worried about feeding a neonatal kitten before I did it, but once I had my 3 week old baby there I was waking up no problem and I didn't have a heating pad so I had to microwave IV bags and wrap them in towels to keep the little guy warm. I ending up caring for another slightly older kitten a few years later, but by then I had a heating pad. Those babies are now nearly 3 and 5, they turned into incredibly healthy, big boys. I am actually planning to foster again come Spring and kitten season.

When my health still allowed it, I would do emergency bottle fed care. Basically taking a bottle fed kitten that had just been surrendered (usually at the end of the day) for that first night to give the staff time to find a more permanent foster. I have a sleep disorder and it causes it to take me 1-2 hours to fall asleep anytime I am woken up. But that same sleep disorder means I am very used to being up all night. So I would stay up with a newly arrived kitten that whole first night then go to sleep after I passed it back to the shelter staff in the AM. I would also take sick kittens that needed intensive supportive care like fluids, medications and syringe feeding for an overnight just to give their regular foster mom/dad a chance to get a full night sleep without worrying about their baby. So even if you are not cut out for long term overnight care like me, there are still ways you can help. 🙂 Ps: this works for human babies too. I was going through a horrible insomnia period when my roommates had a baby due to a circadian rhythm issue. I was up all night, every night. After the first week, I said this is insane for both of us to be up. I will take care of the baby at night while you sleep and pass her back to you at sunrise when I can actually sleep.

I want to toothbrush a tiny kitten. X3

This was something I was SO interested in. I don't sleep well anyway so I'd probably do fine when I do get into fostering but knowing kinda how it works is really helpful. Also if I stay with my current boyfriend we'd probably have the same dynamic as you and Andrew since he does the same type of late nights lol. Hopefully soon I can foster for both rescues I am part of and your videos are very helpful.

I have severe depression along with many other medical conditions that if I could, I'd sleep all day and night. I sleep through everything. But I've had almost 30 neonates and as soon as I have baby kittens, I have no issues waking up and I dont even feel tired. It's incredible.

I'm taking care of two neonatal kittens right now. When I first had to wake up to feed them, it took roughly 45 minutes to feed them both. The boy kitten DID NOT latch on at all and the girl kitten was faster to feed, but didn't latch either. I was soooo tired, having to wake up frequently to feed them throughout the week. Neither of them were latching and I had to feed them droplet by droplet; it would take a lot of time to get them the right amount of milk. Finally, THANKFULLY, they latched on after a few days and my life was so much easier lol. Feeding only took a minute or two after they latched on. My tip: if your kitten is taking a while to latch on and is making feeding hard for you, have patience! They might not be used to the bottle (like mine) and might take some time to adjust to it.

Just got my first foster of the season last night: a cute 3 day old boy. I'm a little tired today but able to function, mostly because of watching this video. My boy is doing awesome too; by his 5:30 am feeding, he was sucking down 6 cc and SUPER well-latched onto the miracle nipple. You help save more cats than you'll probably ever know. THANK YOU for the help!

Even if it's quite late on this side of the planet if there's a new Kitten Lady video you HAVE to watch it! ❤

I recently found a newborn kitten that was rejected by her mother. Your videos have helped SO much. I'm so glad I found your channel; you have helped alleviate so many worries and give so much useful information. Both the kitten and I are very thankful!

I have fostered a few kittens over the past couple of years and one of the things I struggle with are the night feeds. My brain wakes up very quickly and I struggle to fall asleep again - it can sometimes take an hour or more. Nothing seems to help, but knowing it’s just for a few weeks and watching them grow makes it all worth it in the end :’)

I love how natural, beautiful and respectful relationship you and Andrew have. ❤️

Yeeesss, I've been waiting for this vid! Thx so much for teaching us all about how to save the lives of these little guys, you are such an inspiration

I am thinking of fostering a newborn kitten when im older and i need to learn how to. You are the only person i trust and watch when it comes the kittens bc you work is incredible. Please help me out and make a video of how to care for newborn kittens for the 1st time. Its would help me alot. Just a feeding schedule, how to tell the gender, how to weigh them, how to keep them warm and get rid of fleas etc. But all i ask is that you do a day and night schedule of your newborn kittens and how *you* take care of them. It would help me alot. ( *Im 100% Subscribed and i have been watching your videos for years* )

This is what you call serious dedication well done.

Love you Kitten Lady!

I am so happy to watch your videos they always cheers me up to see you and the baby kittens can’t wait to read your new book

I agreed to foster five orphaned kittens that at close to two weeks old. Tonight will be the third night with me. All gained weight on the second day, but it’s really been a challenge. It takes an hour or two to properly feed them all. Lack of sleep is the hardest thing about it, but I’m determined.

I remember taking care of 4 orphan kittens after finding them in my yard and the mother not coming back. You were the main source that helped me when raising them. I remember having to get up every 2 hours and almost wanting to cry because I barely got any sleep. Only thing that kept me going was knowing I took in 4 babies that desperately needed help. I definitely did some things wrong with the schedule, I usually took pictures, I snuggled them, checked social media, and then had a hard time going to sleep lol. Wish I had this video back then! It's been almost 2 years since I took in the kittens and all are happy and healthy. I kept 2 and gave the other 2 to close friends. Like you said, kittens are hard work at first, but me being sleep deprived for 2 weeks was so worth giving the kittens the gift of life!

I just took in my first rescue kitten! The overnight feeding gets easier everyday:)

@Kitten Lady. I can't help but love you. You are really into what you do with the most precious form of life, apart from humans, and you have helped me and I'm sure countless others beyond what you think. Thank you for Loving Cats!

One of our momma cats had complications giving birth and so I found myself bottle feeding my first kitten. He's about 4 days old with white fur. We named him Chance. You helped me to get an idea of what I will need to do to raise the little fur baby. Thank you so much ❤

From April until July I have days old kitten constantly . Ill have kittens of many different ages , I keep them until weaned . By July Im a zombie but those tiny souls are worth those months . I do appreciate Nov trough April very much .

Do some people bring them to work? I love how you put it as giving them 20 years of life.

Awww... The kitten is so adorable, thank you for helping kittens and other animals!

You are amazing, Kitten Lady. May Kabu live a long and happy life in a loving home!

Awe she is sooo precious! Bless you for taking care of these babies!

Thank you Hannah 🙏

I love cats and you

your videos always make me cry!youre such a kind person!love you!

It may sound silly, but it looks so cool when you talk to them, I love it!

That was the advantage when we were raising our one rescue Rocky (he was less than 24 hours old, never got to have any momma's milk) is I am a night owl and the fiance would be up during the day so I would take the evening and night feedings and he would take the morning and afternoon feedings. Then when his daughter would be off work (she works nights) she would take a day of night feedings if I felt like I needed to sleep.

Your videos are so helpful and cool

Itty bitty babies like Kabu are the cutest assistants for instructional videos! ❤️

I'm so very sorry for your lost. I know how you feel, because I have lost a few dogs to old age myself. I know my pets were part of the family, but believe me you will see her again and never have to say goodbye again.

Haha, very sweet and helpfull video My Cat Brothers have been very small too, when I got them

You are the key to why kittens are probably in ship shape plus I have pre order your book

The world needs more people like you

My overnight routine took about an hour 😓 They were my first orphans and I had limited resources at the time. I've learned so much.

Love it very helpful and yes it is worth it waking up at the middle through the night because you are saving a life. Besides i cant sleep through the whole night without waking up like 2 times but im only 13. Love u💖💖💖💝💝💖💝

God bless you and you know what you are the best at saving cats I love cats so much and my cat Mindy she likes to put her paw on my nose And my cat mortgage he likes to Reston boxes

I find for me a timer works better than alarms ❤️ a timer will keep ringing until its turned off. I've been bottle feeding for nearly 10 years now and I find that for me, alarms are annoying to set and change as the day goes on. A timer I can adjust on the fly, if kitten didn't eat as well as I'd like I can get up a bit earlier, and if during the day times get moved around its not too hard to adjust times. But if you won't remember to set a timer (or ask google to 😴) alarms are definitely safer. I make sure everything is set up, garbage can is empty, bottle is full and second bottle is in the fridge just in case, heat source is set and I leave a sticky note on the thermometer in the bucket-nest of the temperature it should be. Pen is at the ready next to the weight/feeding chart. Preparedness is soooooo important, it's crucial for overnight feedings

I see that Ashe shirt! Thank you for everything you do for the care of and education about such tiny kitties. They deserve a chance at life too.

Hello I love your videos so much♥️

Yes! This is what i needed!

It's really great if you can do overnight care. I think though you need to be a healthy and mentally stable person to be able to put up with the disruption of your sleep cycle. When I wake up in the middle of the night, it usually takes me an hour before I fall back to sleep - if at all. So kudos to everyone who can do it, you're doing a great job. But it's not for everyone I guess.

Cant wait to me you in Austin in May! We adore you!

Love your Ashe Shirt! You a console or pc overwatch player!? :D Also love all the videos you put out

You are an amazing woman. ❤

you are doing the best work for these little buddies, so many blessings to you.

Fostering two kittens for the first time of my life and it’s been difficult but yes, incredibly rewarding! Been watching all your awesome videos for help. Also, LOVE your Ashe shirt!!

When I took care of my Clare's two kittens it was a bit of a nightmare. Clare was a stray so we had her sterilized because we were going to do a TNR and her babies seemed ok... and then my brother accidentally allowed our other cat inside the room while I was cleaning up and Clare panicked and attacked him - opening up her wound. It turned out she was actually pretty malnourished and both her and her kittens got a skin infection so I had to give them all oral medicine, put special creams on them AND feed them at different times - vet's recommendation. I had to bottle feed them because Clare wasn't producing enough milk to keep them going and one of her mammary glands got swollen up because the kittens hadn't touched it, plus she ended up having two extra surgeries (4 total in 10 days) because we just had really bad luck with her. I was waking up every 2 hours for almost 4 weeks in the midst of my final exams (I was in high school at the time) and I was doing most of it in my room to avoid further issues with our other cat since we lived in a tiny apartment. I'm also allergic to cats and my allergy got so bad that I had to sleep on the couch in the living room for about a month until we found the kittens forever homes. The vet was coming to check up on her almost daily and we fought really hard to keep them alive and it was so SO worth it!! I was tired as hell but it was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life to see them grow and fight to stay alive. Clare and our other cat eventually started to deal with each other so now she's been with us for over 6 years and she is such a grateful and sweet cat, we all love her so much. People like you sharing tips and tricks helped us get through all of that because we had no idea of what we were doing at first. I hope I can foster like you in the future

Honestly...your the best!!

I love how you actually recoded this video at night!

I recently put in an application to be a foster parent at my local rescue. Currently I've requested moms with litters and weaned kittens but once my school schedule opens up I'll definitely consider taking in bottle babies!

My next alarm for overnight feeding is going to be you telling me to put my feet on the floor, because it's honestly the hardest part for me!

Judging by that round little belly, she’s a good eater!

You're a magician, Ms. Kitten Lady. I don't care what they say about you, you're alright with me!

What you said at the end part made me tear up. Huhu, you're such an inspiration. Never change

I take forever to fall asleep. I'm not afraid that I'll sleep through an alarm, I'm afraid that the alarm will go off just as I'm falling back asleep after the previous feeding.

Do I foster kittens? No Do I own more than one cat? No Do I watch this anyways? Y e s